Blue Mountains dad breaks silence after finding sons' bodies, $50m warning to Coles and Woolworths: Australia news live

Victoria Police has revealed further details about the ugly protests and the tactics some used to target mounted police and their horses.

"It’s believed that protesters targeted the members and their mounts, purposely spraying irritant into the horses’ noses under their face coverings and under the face shields of their riders," police said on Thursday.

"While washing down the horses after their shift, several Mounted Branch members and stable hands also showed signs of skin irritation."

Protesters had earlier been seen throwing manure at mounted police on live television on Wednesday. Police said protests on Thursday were far more peaceful. Over 50 people have been arrested across the two days.

A snake catcher says the abnormally warm end to winter has led to a "crazy" surge in the number of snakes making their way around communities.

"It has been a couple of callouts every day for a few weeks. So that's quite a lot for me," Courtenay Brown, known as That Snake Lady, told Yahoo.

Find out Brown's top tips ahead of snake season here.

Imagine winning more than $400,000 without having a clue what you're doing.

Well that's exactly what happened to one Tweed Heads family on Wednesday night when they won $410,939.50 on Keno Mega Millions.

“I had a massive day at work, probably the hardest workday all year, so I said to my wife, ‘Let’s not worry about dinner. Let’s go out to eat',' the dad explained to lottery officials.

“We’d never played Keno before. I had no idea how to play. I even had to ask the workers what to do. We only put on three games because we didn’t want to be looking at the screen all night.

“We missed the first game and the next two weren’t winners, so we didn’t think we’d won anything.

“As we were finishing our meals, someone in the venue said there was a winner. Everyone was buzzing with excitement wondering who had won."

Turns out it was this family who were left "jumping and screaming" in he South Tweed Sports Club.

The father of the two brothers who were found dead in their family home in the Blue Mountains has just released a heartbreaking statement alongside his family. Below is the statement in full.

The loss of our two beautiful boys has caused unimaginable pain and distress.

Russell (11) and Ben (9) were happy, funny, outgoing boys, and were very much loved by their family and friends.

Like other boys their age, they loved sports, soccer, the Penrith Panthers, fishing, books, music, spending time with their friends and Max their pup.

We cannot understand how our boys have been taken this way and we appreciate the kindness and compassion shown by the community.

We also ask the media respects our need for privacy at this time, and give us the time and space we need to grieve.

The boys' 42-year-old mother was arrested on Tuesday and has remained under police guard in hospital after she sustained injuries. No charges have been laid.

Now for a concerning story from NSW Police's Highway Patrol.

A mother has lost her licence after she was caught seven times over the alcohol limit on her way to collect her child from school in Sydney's northwest, police say.

"Officers observed a silver Toyota Camry exiting a driveway and almost colliding with the passing police vehicle. The female driver was stopped and when officers began speaking with her, it quickly became clear that she was heavily intoxicated," the Highway Patrol Command explained.

The woman's keys were confiscated and she is due to front court next month over high range drink driving. The matter was also reported to family and community services.

"This is a reminder: Never drink and drive. With so many lives at risk, let’s make smart and safe choices on the road," police said.

A Queensland police officer has died while taking part in the police charity ride Wall to Wall.

The 58-year-old died when his motorbike veered off the road and down an embankment on the Gwydir Highway near Glen Innes on Wednesday afternoon.

NSW Police said the officer had been attempting to overtake another rider when he lost control of his bike.

CPR was performed on the man but he could not be saved.

Nine boss Mike Sneesby is stepping down as CEO after three-and-a-half years in the job.

" I want to be completely open about the circumstances surrounding my departure. To give some context, this year has been one of the most challenging in my career - one where our resilience has been tested," Sneesby said.

He will depart at the end of the month.

Well if there was ever a reminder not to get into the water, this is it.

Northern Territory Parks and Wildlife has shared a photo of a 1.72m crocodile removed from Butterfly Gorge and have reminded the public of the threat the "perfect ambush predators" pose. The area is popular with tourists and while swimming is prohibited in the water, a quick Google search shows several unofficial tourism pages advising a swim as part of a visit.

Coles and Woolworths have been warned they could face hefty fines if a plan to crack down on price gouging is adopted.

The country continues to struggle through a cost-of-living crisis and supermarkets have been a focal point for millions as the price of groceries have soared in recent years.

The Greens are pointing the finger at some corporations, and on Thursday the minor party will announce a bill to prohibit large companies from abusing their market power by charging excessive prices for goods and services. The party will propose the bill to the Senate next week.

"There is rampant price gouging and it needs to end," Greens senator Nick McKim said.

"The choice is clear: side with the big corporations who are profiting from people's pain, or side with the Australians who are struggling to get by."

Two of three children who were found unconscious in their burning home have died almost three days after being rushed to hospital.

Emergency services were called to the brick property in Sydenham, in Melbourne's northwest, on Sunday night to find smoke and flames billowing from the roof.

It took fire crews up to 30 minutes to retrieve the siblings - two girls aged five and one, and a boy aged three - before they were taken with critical injuries to the Royal Children's Hospital.

Police said the two girls died surrounded by family in hospital on Wednesday morning, while the boy remains in a critical condition.

Detectives from the arson and explosives squad are investigating the fire, including who was in the property at the time and just before the blaze.

The father of the boy told reporters on Tuesday the three children were "happy little kids" and must have felt "petrified" during the ordeal.

- AAP